Mental HealthEmpowering The Female Athlete: UPMC Sports Medicine Seeking Girls Ages 12 To 18 To Attend 'Total Package' Performance Training Conference
To bring together serious female athletes and teach them the latest injury-prevention techniques and enhance their mental training, nutrition, leadership and team-building skills, UPMC Sports Medicine is hosting Empowering the Female Athlete: ACL Injury Prevention and Beyond, June 14 to 19 at the Petersen Events Center, 3719 Terrace St., Oakland. Female athletes between ages 12 and 18 are invited to attend the conference, led by a range of UPMC experts who care for all types of patients, including scholastic and professional athletes.
"This conference gives young women the opportunity to improve performance from every angle and will encourage them to use sports to succeed in other aspects of life," said Ron DeAngelo, M.Ed., A.T.C., CSCS, conference organizer and director of UPMC Sports Performance. "In addition to life skills, mental training and nutrition, a major portion of the conference will focus on injury prevention, especially ACL injury prevention, since girls are about five times more likely than boys to tear their ACL - which can lead to the loss of a season or even the end of an athletic career."
Mr. DeAngelo will lead the injury-prevention and performance training aspects of the conference. Each day, participants will learn functional training techniques that can help decrease the risk of injury and even improve performance by strengthening the muscles that protect the ACL through a variety of movement patterns. In addition to ACL injury prevention, the performance training aspect of the conference will focus on strength training, flexibility, jump training, running mechanics, core training, and speed, agility and quickness training.
To help participants prepare mentally for the challenges and demands of sports while balancing other aspects of life, Aimee Kimball, Ph.D., UPMC Sports Medicine"s director of mental training, will conduct daily mental training, leadership and team-building exercises.
In addition, Leslie Bonci, R.D., UPMC Sports Medicine"s director of nutrition and a consultant to the University of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates, among others, will lead sessions on the nutrition needs of young, active women.
Also, a female professional from a sports-related field will give a keynote address each morning. Specific presenters and topics include:
- "How proper training can lead to success," by Missie Berteotti, professional golfer, million-dollar LPGA tour winner and currently the teaching pro at St. Clair Country Club
- "From athlete to orthopaedic surgeon," by Robin West, M.D., UPMC Sports Medicine orthopaedic surgeon, former competitive swimmer, medical team consultant to the Pittsburgh Steelers and head team physician for Pitt men"s basketball and CMU Athletics
- "The link between bone health, nutrition and menstruation," by Jeanne Doperak, D.O., UPMC Sports Medicine primary care sports medicine physician, assistant team physician for the Pitt men"s basketball team and general physician for Pitt and CMU Athletics
- "Gender Differences in ACL Injuries," by Susan Jordan, M.D., UPMC Sports Medicine orthopaedic surgeon and assistant team physician for the Pittsburgh Penguins
- "Sports Medicine Issues in the Female Athlete," by Tanya Hagen, M.D., UPMC Sports Medicine primary care sports medicine physician, medical team consultant to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Passion and team physician for various organizations
- "Common Hip Injuries in Female Athletes," by Vonda Wright, M.D., UPMC Sports Medicine orthopaedic surgeon and associate team physician for the Pitt football team
The cost of the six-day conference is $299. The conference will begin with a pre-camp for parents and athletes from 4 to 6:30 p.m., Sunday, June 14, followed by daily sessions from 8 a.m. to noon, June 15 to 19. For more information, please contact Ron DeAngelo at (412) 432-3871. To register online, visit http://sportsmedicine.upmc.com and select "Our Events."
The UPMC Center for Sports Medicine